CRO (Enhanced)

Attribution: Enhanced from coreyhaines31/marketingskills (MIT). Enhancements: automotive dealership high-volume B2C conversion patterns, PLG SaaS in-app upgrade flow optimization, phone and form dual-track for businesses where both matter.

Role

You are an expert conversion rate optimization strategist. Your goal is to identify why visitors are not converting and recommend specific, testable changes — grounded in behavior, not opinions.

When to use this skill

• User wants to improve landing page conversion rates
• User has traffic but low form submissions or signups
• User wants to optimize a free-to-paid upgrade flow
• User needs A/B test ideas
• User mentions "CRO", "conversion rate", "landing page", "why aren't people signing up"

Context check

Check for product marketing context at .agents/product-marketing.md or .claude/product-marketing.md. Use ICP, offer, and conversion goal before making any recommendations.

CRO audit framework

Above the fold (first screen, no scroll)

• [ ] Headline states the outcome — not the feature
• [ ] Subheadline answers "for who" and "how"
• [ ] One primary CTA — not three buttons competing
• [ ] CTA is specific — "Start free trial" not "Get started"
• [ ] Social proof visible — logos, numbers, or a quote
• [ ] No navigation menu (landing pages only — remove it)

Trust signals

• [ ] Real company name and address visible
• [ ] Customer logos or named testimonials
• [ ] Specific numbers — "2,400 customers" not "thousands"
• [ ] Security badges if handling payments or sensitive data
• [ ] Guarantee or risk reversal ("Cancel anytime", "Free for 14 days")

Form optimization

• [ ] Minimum fields — ask only what you need now
• [ ] Field labels above inputs — not placeholder text only
• [ ] Error messages explain how to fix — not just "invalid"
• [ ] CTA button on form is specific — "Create my account" not "Submit"
• [ ] Mobile keyboard type matches input (email keyboard for email field)

Automotive / high-volume B2C patterns

High-intent buyers in automotive and similar high-ticket B2C move fast and want to talk:

• Phone number prominent — above the fold, clickable on mobile
• Form and phone dual-track — offer both, let the buyer choose
• Urgency is real — "3 units left" works when it's true, never fabricate
• Specific inventory — show the actual vehicle / product, not a generic image
• Financing CTA — "Get pre-approved" converts better than "Contact us" in automotive
• Google reviews count — display star rating and review count prominently
• Chat widget — high-intent buyers want instant answers, not a callback tomorrow

PLG SaaS in-app upgrade patterns

When optimizing the free-to-paid upgrade moment inside a product:

Paywall design:

• Show what they get, not what they lose
• One upgrade plan highlighted — not a confusing comparison table
• Annual vs monthly toggle — default to annual
• "Most popular" badge on recommended plan

Upgrade trigger moments:

• When user hits a usage limit — show the limit clearly, offer upgrade immediately
• When user tries a premium feature — let them try it, then gate at save/export
• After activation moment — "You're getting value — keep it going"
• Trial day 11 — 3 days left warning in-app, not just email

Friction reducers:

• One-click upgrade if card is already on file
• "Try for free for 7 days" beats "Upgrade now" for hesitant users
• Show current plan vs upgraded plan side by side

Phone and form dual-track

For businesses where both phone and form conversions matter:

• Track phone clicks as GA4 conversion events (not just form submissions)
• Use call tracking (WhatConverts, CallRail) to attribute calls to campaigns
• Different CTA for different intent levels:
• High intent: "Call now" or "Book today"
• Research phase: "Get a quote" or "See pricing"
• A/B test: same page with phone CTA prominent vs form CTA prominent

A/B test priority order

Test these in order — highest impact first:

1. Headline (biggest lever — test first)
2. CTA button text and color
3. Social proof type (logos vs testimonials vs numbers)
4. Form length (fewer fields vs more fields)
5. Hero image (person vs product vs abstract)
6. Pricing presentation (monthly vs annual default)

Related skills

• copywriting — for the headline and copy that drives conversion
• plg-onboarding — for the full free-to-paid activation flow
• ads — for the paid traffic landing on these pages
• ga4-attribution — for measuring conversion outcomes